"you're a really good teacher, you know. there's no way i'd be able to do what i can without you."
she squeezes her a little bit, almost as if to check that she's real, that she's still here.
"um... can we still go to that cafe you mentioned...?"
at the sound of mako's advice, miyu begins to giggle a little. it's small and quiet, but a smile emerges on her face all the same.
"i'm working on it. promise."
from this distance, miyu is able to assess her mother's face. she's younger, and there's less authority in her +
it hurt mako's hurt to see her daughter from the future tremble and cry like this. she can't imagine being so terrified and unsure in a different timeline than her own. but one thing is for sure, she wanted to assure miyu better than her own mother did. they were in good +
voice, but that's to be expected. her style is /very/ of her time, but... somehow, it feels timeless. what's really shocking is that, other than this, she doesn't seem to have changed much at all. that makes everything feel so much better, somehow.
+
slowly, miyu wraps her arms around mako's waist. it doesn't take her long to realise that she's crying as she tightens her grip, inhaling her scent. mako hasn't changed her perfume in all these years, so it's familiar to miyu... and slightly overwhelming.
+
which would make the next part of their exchange surprising. at miyu's confirmation, seeing the young woman in a new light, mako takes a silent step forward to close the space between the two. her hands reach forward, cupping miyu's face in her palms, as if cradling her for +
when he told her they'd met, she'd been immensely jealous. it wasn't fair. why should he get to talk with the person she was closest with, and not her?
but now, she realises, it's all going to be fine. even if it's dangerous, her mother's here. now everything feels so much +